Unveiling the Link between Tick-Borne Illness and Post viral Fatigue: Insights from Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Study
Introduction: In an unexpected turn, a recent study delves into the post viral effects of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) on immune cells, shedding light on the potential parallels with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and long COVID.
Study Insights:
- The study, a collaboration between Swedish, UK, and Turkish researchers, investigates the immune response in CCHFV-infected patients over time.
- Despite being more prevalent in regions like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, CCHFV’s impact extends beyond geographical boundaries.
- Transcriptomic analysis revealed a surge in energy demands in immune cells during the acute phase, indicative of a hypermetabolic state to combat the virus.
- Patients whose cells struggled to meet energy demands resorted to alternative pathways, resulting in more severe illness.
- A month post-infection, patients displayed signs of “metabolic insufficiency,” experiencing fatigue, pain, and other postviral symptoms akin to ME/CFS and long COVID.
Implications:
- The findings underscore the critical role of cellular energy production in combating viral infections and subsequent post viral illnesses.
- Similar energy dysregulation patterns have been observed in ME/CFS and long COVID, suggesting a common underlying mechanism.
- Understanding the immuno-metabolic mechanisms behind post viral fatigue could pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions to help patients bounce back quicker.
Conclusion: As scientists dig deeper into how viruses affect our bodies and how our immune cells respond, studies like the one on CCHFV are showing us some hopeful ways to deal with postviral fatigue and get better faster.
Reference: Ambikan, Anoop T., et al. “Systems-Level Temporal Immune-Metabolic Profile in Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infection.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – PNAS, vol. 120, no. 37, 2023, pp. e2304722120–e2304722120, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2304722120.